The Civil Engineering Contractor July 2019 | Page 42

SUPPLY CHAIN NEWS
Johnson Crane Hire systematically conducts upfront engineering studies to ensure complex lifts are successful.
part of the complete lifting solution.
Johnson Crane Hire, through its
expertise, is able to offer alternative
handling solutions.
It is necessary to bear in mind
that solutions are often a matter of
‘horses for courses’ because there
are a lot of factors that need to
be considered, which is, again, why
a thorough assessment is required.
“Alternative handling solutions are
all actually ‘engineered solutions’ and
there needs to be a comprehensive
understanding of the equipment and
methodology limitations as well as
what can be achieved individually
or by combining more than one in a
single solution. This is why upfront
engineering is so important when
it comes to taking on lifting and
handling projects,” says Yaman.
Yaman highlights some of the
alternative technologies that can
be brought into play when project
options are examined at an early stage.
In a recent proposal, the company
was able to apply jacking and sliding
techniques to moving 3 000t concrete
units. The sheer weight and size of
the units made normal lifting by large
mobile cranes impractical, but lent
itself to the use of a jack-and-slide
method to get the loads from the
casting area to the location where
they were to be installed.
“This was only one element of
the solution, however, as gantry
systems and strand jacking could
40 | CEC July 2019
then be considered for the lifting
requirements of these structures
during installation,” he says. “A key
benefit of alternative systems like
jack-and-slide or strand jacking is
their modularity. This means their
capacity can be cumulatively increased
to match the demands of the items to
be moved or lifted.”
Yaman explains that alternative
handling solutions could include
the use of a climbing jack, a jack-
and-slide system, strand jacking, a
gantry system or a self-propelled
modular trailer, or a combination of
all of these.
Climbing jacks are an extremely
cost-effective manner of lifting heavy
loads to the required height up to
a maximum of 1.5m. This option
can be scaled to allow for large and
heavy equipment and componentry.
These are often used in maintenance
applications.
A jack-and-slide option is
formed by using both a jacking
and sliding system. Combining the
two methodologies allows for the
handling heavy equipment in a cost-
effective manner.
Strand jacking forms part of the
Johnson Crane Hire’s arsenal of
handling and lifting solutions. This
lifting methodology uses a hydraulic
progressive lifting system and can be
scaled to provide a lifting solution for
extremely heavy equipment.
And, while limited in terms of
capacity and lifting height, gantry
systems offer excellent versatility
as the span can be configured for
individual applications. These systems
can be rail mounted for even greater
versatility with the rails lengths being
determined to suit the requirement.
Gantry systems can accommodate
varying ground levels from one
gantry upright to the other.
Yaman insists that it is not just
the access to the equipment and
the aforementioned methodologies
that provide solutions, but rather an
understanding of how to effectively
combine these in a manner to deliver
a cost-effective handling solution
that is both reliable and safe, that is
important for the success of a project.
This is where engineering skills
come into play; not just any company
is able to undertake these sorts of
projects. Having access to the level of
engineering skills upfront in a project
is critical, as this allows all options to
be fully exploited.
“With our full team of highly skilled
and specialised personnel, including
our in-house engineering team as
well as trained competent operators,
we have strengthened our capacity to
systematically conduct these upfront
engineering studies — to safely and
cost-effectively move our customers’
loads from factory to foundation,”
concludes Yaman. nn
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